Avon LMCs Newsletter on 04-02-26

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The ALMC Newsletter

Welcome to our weekly newsletter, sharing the latest news and topics of interest for practices.

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– LATEST NEWS –

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There has been some important news announced recently, following the appointment of the new executive team for the NHS Gloucestershire and NHS Bristol North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICBs cluster.

Against this backdrop, I wanted to highlight an important development for Avon LMC itself. We have now opened an Expression of Interest for a new LMC Chair. This reflects a planned and thoughtful transition rather than a sudden change. As the organisation is now firmly rooted in the representation of general practice, it has become increasingly clear that the Chair role should evolve to focus primarily on leadership and governance, rather than combining these responsibilities with significant operational delivery, as has been the case historically.

This shift is intentional. It allows the Chair to concentrate on strategic influence, political advocacy, and external relationships, while supporting a more resilient organisational structure underneath. It also creates space for a broader range of colleagues to consider stepping into the role, including those who may not wish to take on day-to-day operational management alongside their clinical work.

The LMC remains committed to being a strong, independent voice for general practice across BNSSG. That strength comes not from any single individual, but from collective leadership, clarity of purpose, and the trust of our member practices. I would strongly encourage colleagues with an interest in medical leadership, advocacy, and the future of general practice to consider the EOI, or to have an informal conversation if they would like to understand the role better.

As ever, thank you for your continued engagement and support. The coming months are unlikely to be easy, but a clear sense of direction and a strong representative voice matter more than ever.

“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.”
— Simon Sinek

Shaba Nabi
Chair: Avon LMC

The Avon LMC Chair role is coming up for election, and the window is now open for expressions of interest. If you are a GP working in BNSSG and would like to be part of the work the LMC does on behalf of General Practice, please complete the EOI by 17^th February 2026, which can be found here.

The role is an elected post for six hours per week, with a three-year fixed-term employment contract that is subject to the election terms. The successful post holder must attend a weekly meeting on a Tuesday afternoon. An overview of the role and responsibilities can be found here.
If you require any further information, don’t hesitate to contact the Avon LMC Managing Director: rebecca@almc.co.uk

We have updated this document on the Avon LMC Collective Action webpage to include the new referral form developed for the cauda equina pathway, which has been RAG rated as amber.

Question: What is happening about Bariatric Surgery monitoring? We have patients going abroad for this surgery and expecting us to provide treatment and monitoring. Practices in the area seem to have differing approaches so we wondered if this was still on the LMC’s radar

Answer: Bariatric surgery monitoring formed part of GP collective action, and the LMC served notice that practices would not undertake any new post-bariatric surgery monitoring from January 2025. This position was taken on the expectation that this work would be commissioned as an enhanced service, similar to ADHD medication monitoring; however, no such service has yet materialised.

In the context of the current significant ICB restructure, it is unlikely that commissioning of this work is a system priority, particularly given the increasing emphasis on medical management of obesity.

With regard to the monitoring and treatment of patients who have undergone bariatric surgery privately overseas, this remains a matter for individual practice policy. The LMC would support a practice decision to decline this work, as it does not form part of the core GP contract.

This issue will be raised again as an agenda item at the next joint ICB/LMC meeting.

The annual UK LMC conference will take place in May 2026 and the deadline for submission of motions is 4^th March 2026. We invite all members to consider the key issues and challenges affecting four nation general practice (such as funding, training, estates, and regulation) and submit motions to info@almc.co.uk.

This document describes how to write motions for England conference and the principles for UK submission are similar. However, if there are any references to England specific issues (such as NHS England or ICBs) the motion will be rejected by the UK agenda committee.

If you have ideas for a motion, but do not feel confident to write one, please do not hesitate to contact your area Board Director and they can assist with transforming your thoughts into a masterly creation. Alternatively, you can email your ideas to info@almc.co.uk.

From David Peel, One Care Planned Care Lead:

Many of you have fed back to us about missing histology reports for endoscopy. GPCB and LMC have been pressing for interpreted histology reports in system discussions.  The problem mainly results from scopes done by the InHealth Community Diagnostic Centre in Aztec West. The histology for this unit is often sent to InHealth’s national laboratory, and the reports do not always come back to the original referrer.  This is a known IT issue and is part of an ongoing discussion between NBT and InHealth. NBT acts as the contract holder for InHealth and there are a number of pressing issues to resolve including this one.  We expect discussions to take place over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, please continue to submit DATIX reports for clinical incidents arising from missing histology and let us know if other providers are similarly failing to provide interpreted histology.

The BMA have also published guidance on this which can be found here.

Please find the letter here.

Please find the attached booking form.

• 3 March 2026: Virtual LMC drop in, 1pm – 2pm
• 5 May 2026: Virtual LMC drop in, 1pm – 2 pm
• 7 July 2026: Virtual LMC drop in, 1pm – 2pm

Discover a world of knowledge with ALMC Learning Hub! Our monthly newsletter is your backstage pass to course updates and expert insights straight to your inbox.

Subscribe now and stay informed, you would find out what additional training will be coming up and know more about our trainers. 

• Tuesday 03 Feb General practice bulletin
• Thursday 29 Jan General practice bulletin

The PPMD Teams channel is an inclusive space that is open to all general practice and PCN non-clinical management roles across BNSSG.
 
It provides a central place for those who wish to access direct information about training and development updates, opportunities, and shared resources, as well as being a space to support collaboration, community and peer support – helping colleagues stay connected and informed. 
 
Whether you are an experienced, new or aspiring manager, we’d love to see you. To join the channel, please complete this short form.
 
For further information, please contact Louise Carthy, Project Lead, at L.Carthy@nhs.net. 

Save the date for the Practice & PCN Management Development (PPMD) Annual Conference on Wednesday 1st April 2026 at the University of the West of England (UWE).
 
The conference is open to all general practice and PCN non?clinical management colleagues – including Practice Managers, PCN Managers, Deputy and Assistant Managers, Team Managers, and anyone aspiring to work in practice or PCN management.
 
A full agenda, registration link and speaker information will be shared in the coming weeks. For now, please save the date and look out for further updates.
  
For further information, please contact Louise Carthy, Project Lead, at L.Carthy@nhs.net.   

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– LATEST TRAINING AND EVENTS –

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